'Luftwaffe' seagulls spark mental health 'epidemic' as they terrorise townsfolk
Residents have reported that the birds are affecting their mental health
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Residents of an historic Scottish town are under attack from a plague of seagulls so severe it has been compared to the Luftwaffe.
The situation in Elgin has become so dire that locals' mental health could be at risk - with the local community council launching a survey to gauge just how bad things could be.
The unusual step comes as the town faces what pest controllers describe as an "epidemic" of aggressive gulls during the breeding season.
The council intends to use the survey results to make a case to the Scottish Parliament for improved control measures against the dive-bombing - in the face of a NatureScot report which claims seagull populations are declining.
The seagull situation has become so dire that locals' mental health could be at risk
WALLPAPER FLARE
Rob Teasdale, of Specialist Vermin Control from nearby Findochty, has likened the birds to a wartime threat.
"They are like the Luftwaffe the way they come off the roof and everyone dives for cover as they swoop at things," he told The Daily Mail.
The community's concerns are further validated by early survey results, with nearly a tenth of respondents reporting that the birds were affecting their mental health.
But the siege of seagull Stukas in Elgin is not an isolated incident, as similar issues have been reported across Britain.
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"Everyone dives for cover as they swoop at things," one pest controller said
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In Aberdeen, a brazen gull invaded a family's kitchen, leaving a trail of chaos and fear in its wake - while Lancashire locals have reported gulls entering homes and stealing pet food.
In Hampshire, a chimney sweep had to wrestle with a "rambunctious" seagull stuck in a flue.
Some coastal towns have seen such severe infestations that locals describe scenes reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds".
Meanwhile, in the Isle of Man, the situation has deteriorated to the point that local restaurants have started offering "insurance policies" for customers whose meals have been snatched by the animals.
The birds have been compared to the dive-bombing planes of the WWII-era Luftwaffe
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Hawkins BBQ on the island rolled out a £1 policy for patrons - where any punter who had suffered a gull nabbing their food would be eligible for a replacement meal - if they had taken out the insurance package.
Avian expert Dominic Couzens explained to The Daily Mail that the birds were more intelligent than humans gave them credit for.
He said the fierce gulls had learned to target Britons holding chips and ice creams - and has said we only have ourselves to blame.
He told the outlet: "They are not the problem. We are the problem. The reason herring gulls started eating chips is that people would leave them and not put them in bins.
"If they come into town they are going to be more familiar with people. They are omnivores, very intelligent and will eat anything.
"They are opportunistic and extremely adaptable. If they are into a good thing, they will stick with it.
"They are being lazy - just taking opportunities when they present themselves.
"From their point of view, it's just doing what they do - what comes naturally to them."
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